Room
by ttfan111robstar1
Summary: Based off of the Book turned to a movie of the same name by Emma Donoghue. There is a room in the Kaiba manor that only the brothers knew existed, from their days with Gozaburo. During an interview, the room is revealed, a question is asked, and contemplations were made by Seto, culminating in an answer. Oneshot.


**Author's Note: So I watched and reread "Room" last night and this just kind of popped out. I hope you all enjoy it!**

The room was in a secluded wing of the manor.

It was behind a bookcase, with a steel door. It was small for the standards of the home. No bigger than what would have been a master suite's closet in an ordinary home. There was a toilet and sink, a cot, and a cupboard with finger food and water. Cameras were in every corner of the room. There were books for lessons, and a single pencil and paper. He had to use the books as tables. The cot was where he sat to do this. He was not permitted to lay down, lest he be beaten into submission. He could sit up, and do his work. Only when everything for that day was done, was he permitted to lay down and rest. He was sent to that room once lessons were over for the day, when he was thought to be slacking in his work ethic. Sometimes it was a punishment for disobedience. During those times, he would have no books or pencils. Just food and water and the cot. He would not be permitted to sleep. There were speakers in that room just below the cameras, and he would be forcibly kept awake until it was decided that he could come out. It is for that reason that he became so adept at pulling all nighters as a teenager.

Gozaburo Kaiba had thought that the best way for Noah to do something with no distractions was in a solitary room, and so the room was created. After Noah died, the room had gone unused for a time, and he had had the steel door installed to use it for a vault, but never got around to having his servants unload it. But when he had adopted Seto, the room found a renewed purpose. Gozaburo knew isolation was the best form of torment for Seto. Knowing that he could not see his little brother from inside of there was the cruelest thing he could think of, and he knew it would force his Stepson to focus on what had to be done and nothing else. It was that reason, in essence, why Seto tended to lock himself in the office when he was working on something difficult. Mokuba knew when those invitations were actual invitations to come and when to stay out because he knew his brother.

When Mokuba was a bit older, sometimes he would be forced into Room. And Seto, smart as he was, would deliberately get in trouble to be locked in there with him, to make sure he was not alone in there. The isolation had made Seto bitter and jaded, but he would be damned if that would happen to his little brother. Gozaburo himself did not know that they were in the room together. Gozaburo would send Mokuba to Room. Seto, outsmarting him, made sure a servant did it so there would be no communication between them. The servants tended to shove them in there without a thought, and Gozaburo himself was often so busy that he would not check in with them and remained undisturbed. After Mokuba was sent there the first time he did a bit of investigating and found that the control room, where the camera feeds were sent, were unmanned during his stays there. They were only staffed when Seto was in there for punishment for being behind on his studies and was not allowed to rest. After Mokuba's first stay, he gave him the lockets they wore around their necks, telling his brother that "That way he would always have a bit of him no matter where they were.".

When they were both in Room together, Seto took care of Mokuba. He would make him food, play games with him that consisted of imagination, and tell him stories. After being forced to be in there, with no one to help him, Seto made sure nothing happened to his brother. He helped him with whatever homework problems he might have been having. The separation between them was being bridged this way. Together. Gozaburo, by some sort of miracle, never caught on. And after Gozaburo was overthrown and disappeared, Room was essentially unused and for the most part forgotten about. It was not mentioned again until one day, when they were preparing for an interview. An Exposé on Gozaburo Kaiba. They had interviewed butlers, Former employees, anyone who might give a good soundbite. The golden hearted businessman charade was slowly being peeled away, and Seto Kaiba intended to shatter it with this interview. And that's when he remembered Room.

The day of the interview had arrived, and Seto had made damn sure that Mokuba would not be here for it. He didn't want him to have to relive all of this. There were lights set up, make up being applied, cameras set up on tripods and others manned by cameramen. They began the interview in the living room of the Kaiba Manor.

"It's a pleasure to be here with you, Mr. Kaiba. Many networks have tried to get an interview with you, and we are honored that you have chosen us to give this exclusive interview to, and in your home, no less. It's a privilege to be here."

"Thank you. I like to think so."

"You're an accomplished duelist, a successful businessman, and a technological innovator. Many people have seen your successes and have kept a close eye on them, but very few people have gotten to know the man behind the world's leading gaming conglomerate. The corporation that used to be owned by your father."

"Stepfather." Seto corrected bitterly. "He was not the man who brought me into this world, and he is not deserving of the word father."

"Can you tell us more about that?"

"Gozaburo Kaiba was a conniving snake, who only adopted my brother and I to get someone to run his company when I was older. He showed no love or compassion to myself or my brother, and he does not deserve to be called a father. He spent years abusing the two of us, and no one ever said anything about it because he had enough money to cover it up and pay people off. When he disappeared, it was for the best because it meant my brother and I were free of that man."

"So you're saying that he abused you for years and you never reported it?"

"He abused _us_. And no, I did not report it, because who would have believed me? I was a ten year old kid and he was the head of a multi-million dollar company who could have paid whomever investigated hush money, or gotten rid of us for that matter."

"Can you tell us more about what it was like then?"

"I can show you instead." He said. The cameras cut off for a moment so they could switch to a walking camera, and then turned on. Seto led the interviewer up the stairs into the east wing of the Manor. A bookcase was there, and he pushed it aside to reveal that old steel door. He typed in the code to open it as the interviewer, himself, and the cameraman went inside. "This is the room. Gozaburo would lock my brother and myself in here many times. If we were falling behind on our studies, we would be put in here. There was food, water, a toilet and sink, and a cot, and that was it. We were permitted one pencil to do our work with, and used the books as desks. If we tried to sleep, we were made to stay awake through the speakers posted there and there." He said, pointing to some small speakers just below the cameras that were embedded in the wall. "If we were locked in here as punishment, we were not allowed to sleep. Whomever was in the control room nearby would play loud sounds to keep us awake. We had to stay up all night long. Sometimes, if it was really bad, it would be for two days. Two days of no rest and still being expected to produce perfect work."

"When was the last time you entered this room?"

"The last time he put me here. I have not come here since."

"Did he ever put your brother in here?"

Seto's face immediately darkened. "Yes. He did."

"What was that like for you?"

Seto had to calm himself to control his anger. "The first time he did it I did not know it happened. But after I found out, I made sure that any time he was in there, I was too. I had to protect him. That was my job. I wasn't going to let Gozaburo do to him what he did to me. I got in trouble on purpose to make sure that he wouldn't be there by himself. I took care of him, I made his food, I made sure that he didn't see what I saw."

"What did you see?"

His face grew pinched. "I saw a man who was a coward. Who took his anger out on children. I saw a man filled by anger and greed, who used myself and my brother as pawns to try and further his own goals. He treated us like we were inconveniences to him. I would never do that to my brother. That's why Mokuba is the Vice President of Kaiba Corp, because whatever we do, we do as a team."

"I see." They made their way back to the living room, and the interviewer continued. "When you were in this house with Gozaburo, did it ever occur to you to try and get your brother out, away from your stepfather so that he could be safe?"

The question caught Seto by surprise. "I couldn't leave him. I made him a promise that no one would ever separate us."

"It would have been a sacrifice- one greater than anyone might ask of a child, even a man of such high intellect like yourself- but would it have been better for him, not to be in that abusive environment. To keep him there for yourself- isn't that selfish?"

"But he had me… I made sure that Gozaburo never laid a hand on him. I protected him."

"Of course you did. And you made it out the other side stronger because of it, but was that the best thing for him at the time?"

Seto was rendered speechless, but somehow he managed to get out, "It led us to where we are now."

The interview continued, Seto finishing it on Autopilot. But long after it ended, the interviewer's question haunted him. _Was that the best thing for him at the time?_

Seto was up all night with that question bouncing around in his head. All his life he had tried everything to protect his little brother, always putting Mokuba ahead of himself. Her question, and the part about being selfish, they shook him to his very core. Was he selfish to keep Mokuba there? Gozaburo himself had not wanted Mokuba, only Seto. He might very well have let him go, knowing that no one would have believed a five year old child when they made claims of abuse against a mogul like him. But Mokuba had stayed because Seto had. Had he been so caught up in himself that he didn't see what was best for his brother? The guilt was eating him alive.

The next morning, he told Roland that he was not going to work and staying home today- something unprecedented for the elder Kaiba. Roland had concerns about his boss, after the interview yesterday had clearly covered some questions that had caught him off guard. But when Seto Kaiba specifically asked not to be disturbed, he could not voice them to him without risking his job, and he did not want to lose his job.

So that day, Seto Kaiba stayed in bed. He did not work, or organize his Duel Monsters cards, or look at some new technology from a competitor. He laid in bed, only getting up to use the bathroom and drink some water. He did not eat either. He could have at any point, considering the maids were only a ring away, but he could not handle being around people right now. With how defeated he felt, he was not going to let anyone see him at his weakest. His emotions, normally tamped down beneath layers of steel, had broken free and were running wild. His guilt, his self-loathing, his fraternal instincts, his regret, and his grief over the situation were running him down.

In one very rare instance of empathy, he could put himself in Gozaburo's shoes- a terrifying and frankly disturbing thing. He understood for the first time why Gozaburo had committed suicide after he lost his company. That company was all he had and all he cared about. Mokuba was what Seto cared about, and to think that he may have unintentionally hurt him was more than he could bear. For the first time, he could understand the concept of not wanting to fight anymore. There was a reason he focused on the future and not the past, and this was why. The past only brought up emotions- which would hinder him in every sense. He had hoped by doing that interview, he could expunge the past. But now, it had just resurrected old ghosts that he had wanted to keep buried.

He could not and would not end his life. He knew that. He would not leave Mokuba alone. He just wished that for a moment, the pain would stop.

Fate however, heard his prayer.

When Mokuba got home from school, he raced to his brother's room. Roland had picked him up from school and informed him of his concerns for his brother. Mokuba, never taking things of that sort lightly from anybody, Roland in particular, had hastened to remedy the issue. His brother did not want to be disturbed, and that was not the first time this had occurred, but Mokuba knew that he was the exception to that rule. He opened the door to see his brother lying on his side, facing away from him. Mokuba closed the door and climbed up onto the bed. Seto was staring right through him. So, he reached out and touched his brother's hand.

"Seto?" He asked.

His older brother shocked and worried him by pulling him into an embrace, holding Mokuba to his chest. Seto sighed.

"Seto? What's wrong?" Mokuba tried again. Suddenly, he thought he felt something fall on his head. He reached up and felt a small wet spot on his hair, and was utterly surprised to find that his brother- his impenetrable older brother who never got upset, was _crying._

"I'm sorry, Mokuba. I'm so sorry." Seto shuttered.

"Sorry? Why are you sorry?" Mokuba asked, confused.

"For everything. I'm sorry that I didn't try and get you out of Gozaburo's house when I found out what he was. I'm sorry that I was selfish and I didn't put you first. I'm sorry for every time I made you feel terrible or unappreciated. I'm sorry for all the times I wasn't there to protect you. I love you, Mokuba. And I'm sorry if I ever made you feel like I didn't."

Mokuba was momentarily stunned by his brother's speech, but then pulled away to look his brother in the eye as he spoke. "Seto, don't you understand? I would have never left you here by yourself, even if you had thought it was best for me, because it wouldn't have been best for you. I know you put me first as much as you can, but I do the same for you. If I hadn't been there, you might not have survived Gozaburo, and if you hadn't been there for me, I wouldn't have either. We need each other, Seto. I know you love me, and you need me, even when you don't act like it. And I need you too. You're the one who takes care of me, and you're the one who believes in me when I don't think I can do it myself. You're my family, big brother. My _real _family. And nothing changes that."

Seto's eyes grew wide at the speech. And then, he pulled his brother into the tightest and warmest embrace he had ever given him. "Thank you, Mokuba."

"Anytime, Seto."

The next day, Seto Kaiba was back at work. It was as if nothing had happened. And it stayed that way for a few weeks, until Seto pulled Mokuba aside one evening at home and asked if he was okay with some renovations to the house. Mokuba had raised an eyebrow at that, and then lowered it when Seto told him exactly what they were renovating.

So after contractors had been hired and movers at the ready, Seto and Mokuba stood at the threshold to Room, to say goodbye and good riddance. Everything was still in the same place. The movers hadn't touched it yet. Seto felt relief. He would never have to enter that room again. This was strictly about taking one last look at the past, before he let it rest. And giving his little brother a chance to make his peace with this place too.

"Goodbye." Said Mokuba, rubbing the doorframe.

"Good riddance." He said, taking one final look around. The lumpy cot, the worn cupboard, the dirty sink and toilet. Unlike the rest of the house, it was not maintained. Nobody cared about it and the maids could not get into it without a code. It was there strictly to be a place of punishment, no better than a jail cell. And today, he was breaking free from that cell. He exited the room, and looked to the movers and construction workers.

"Take it apart and then tear it down."

They nodded and went to work, as Seto Kaiba looped an arm around his little brother, and walked into the light coming from the other part of the house. The darkness was behind them now, and the future was bright.


End file.
